Toot, Sweet.

Everyone has the opportunity to walk through a "fart" or have one themselves at some point or another. For example, walking through a store. We have all walked through one and made the face and scurried through it to avoid any length of time smelling it and worse yet, that someone might think you did it. And you know most of us have polluted the air in some franchise chain and before you could leave the isle, someone enters. Yeah, not good. If you are with a kid, blame is the only option. "Jeez, Joey, do you have to go to the bathroom?" Mind you, do not say this to a kid over 6 years old. They are on to you and will let everyone know it was you. Not me of course.

  Regardless from where it comes, they are uncomfortable. Some smell for a while and some are brief. It is how gracefully we can get through them. Shawne Duperon, www.shawnetv.com , says that in life, we also have "toot" like situations that are uncomfortable and that we would gladly like to remove ourselves from.  Small toots might be slipping in front of a group of people. Bigger ones might be being called into the school for your child's misbehavior. They are uncomfortable.

Let me share one today. I was in line at the cashier. There was a young man that was clearly new at the job and looked terrified. Behind him was an older woman (compared to his young age) peering over his shoulder. There was another veteran cashier within 2 feet and the bagger who was a bit older than he. Then, there was me and a line of people waiting. Uncomfortable shift-long toot for this kid. I felt bad. So, I said, "Do you ever feel like someone is looking over your shoulder?" He smiled and said yes. The woman behind him smiled and laughed. The young man continued checking out not knowing what most of the produce was so I continued to make light of the situation. I said it was a good place to learn what all this stuff is. I also told I'd be back to test him. The woman said I could tell him how to cook it. Microwave? So we all chatted and made light of it and he smiled and was happy to let me join his toot. The customers behind me heard everything and they were smiling. I was sure they would help him out too.

That young man is going to have a very uncomfortable day and I hope the five minutes I spent with him will help him be more comfortable. I had empathy for him and compassion. Share some with someone today and help them through their "Toot." :)

Masterpiece

Last week, I received the illustrations for my book. It was an emotional moment sitting in front of my screen, one by one, downloading the files. Each one popped up covering up the one behind it only giving me a brief glimpse of their whimsical scenes. As I carefully looked at each one, my emotions began to surface.

Backing up, when I received the emails, I was nervous because I knew this would be one step closer to the final masterpiece (I like to call it that).  It is possible that its success will be minimal but at least I can say that i did get one of my many books published and I can share that with my family. I am proud of that. Or, it will be wildly successful and I will have to figure out how to balance my family and my book.  I'll eat an elephant one bite at a time.

While I was looking at them, I started to cry. I was crying out of relief that they are completed and then, most of all, because Denise gave my story life with delightful characters and charming detail. It is a dream come true. I can only hope she feels the same way. I have not met her nor talked to her so our only communication is through my editor and publisher and through my written words and her paintbrush. We are a match. She captured my words so well and added her creative touch. I hope she will want to do more of the Flip Side Stories. www.deniseclemmensen.com

So, the illustrations are approved and she will send out the originals from California. We have sent her some cover ideas for her to sketch. We will have to approve those and she off to painting again.


The last steps are layout, proof and print. Print, print, print. Then I hope everyone will want to share this book with their children. I hope to encourage a more empathetic, caring, compassionate and tolerant world.

Here's a sneak peek.

Toast to Jelley

Today, I had the honor of attending the celebration of a man's 83 years of life. Ok, I could say a funeral and the end of his life but it's all in the "Power of Words", right?

He was the Father and Grandfather of dear friends of ours and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Grandpa Jelley at a couple of joyous family events over the past year. The one thing I remember about dear Grandpa Jelley was his HUGE smile. He always seemed happy. At least when he saw me. ha ha. Not really. Everyone says the same thing about him. What I loved most about spending time with him was his spirit that escaped through his smile. At the times that I was able to sit with him, he had some difficulty getting the words out that he wanted to say. Not because he struggled mentallybut because he had difficulty getting the words to come out right.  I could tell sometimes that it bothered him but he always laughed it off. I didn't always know exactly what he was saying, but he did and he was going to try his best to convey his message the best he could.

The Eulogy was about what a happy man he was and how he lived life to the fullest. He was always smiling and bringing joy to others. He had a great sense of humor to which he passed on to his grandson. Now, we get to enjoy Grandpa through him.

During the ceremony, I thought about my eulogy. I know, sounds depressing but really it's not. It is your legacy, the mark you leave, the impression you've made on the people in your life and the world. What do I want people to say about me?  She was a grumpy, mean spirited, self-centered piece of work? Um...No.  It is a picture or portrait of you. Would you want to hang that portrait of you on the wall? I would think not. Mona Lisa is an exception but only because it worth a lot of money.

None of us know how long we'll be here but we do know we probably have this minute or an hour, a day, a week, a year or many years. What am I going to do with that time? I want to be remembered as a happy person, a caring and loving person, a person with integrity and honesty, a number 1 mother to my children, a number 1 wife to my husband, a teacher, a person who strived to make a difference in the world on a grander scale than an arms reach and a person who wanted to help people however she could. This is what I have determined my life will be. I've created a goal and I am working toward it. I don't expect to be perfect. In a portrait, you don't see the details. You see the whole person.

I want my life celebrated. I informed my husband that I would like "Lord of the Dance." played at my celebration (dance if you wish), no open casket because that wouldn't be me anymore and only wear black if it makes you feel skinnier.  Life is good. Make the most out of it and make your impression matter.

Lets learn about Empathetic Civilisation

Most of you may have seen this on my Facebook http://twe.ly/uDfb but I thought I'd post it here in case you aren't there (but I'd love to have you there too).

Book Giveaway Winner

Mommy Lady Club is the winner of the book giveaway. I used random number generator to choose the winner. Congratulations! 

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Letting Go

At church yesterday, the Homily ready made me think. Monsignor Zenz told a story about how he was speaking to an elderly priest the other day and asked him how he was doing and the priest said, " I wake up every day and let go of something else." Monsignor continued to talk about letting go and giving up control. As I usually do, my thoughts drifted off and I began to ponder the words "letting go everyday".

I never thought about it before but everyday of our lives we are letting go of something in order to move forward. When we are born, we let go of the security and warmth of our mother's womb. Throughout a baby's growth, they are continually letting go of something. It may be as simple as a pacifier or bottle or the arms of their parents. They give up the cradling of the bassinet then the security (and confinement) of the crib.  On the flip side, they are growing up and learning to do things on their own. They are growing and thriving.

Kids let go of old toys, outgrown clothing and even being home all day with mom or dad to go to school. Every year, they let go of an age, a grade level,  friends, teachers and maybe letting go of a school to go to a new one.  When they go to college, they let go of the security of home, their bedroom, their hometown in most cases, their highschool friends and more. On the flip side, they are becoming independent and self-sufficient and confident. They are maturing into competent adults.

When we marry, we let go of our parents if we are still dependent on them. We let go of some of our ego-centricity to be part of a team (hopefully) if we have been living on our own.  We might let go our home where we were living, let go of some freedoms, some close friendships and some habits. On the flip side, we are hopefully joining with someone who compliments us, someone who completes and someone who we will start a family with. We don't mind giving those things up when we care about that person. It isn't difficult when we "love" someone.

When we become parents, there is gratification in being needed and helping this little person to survive. Though, every day, we have to help them become independent so we have let go of many things along the way. Eventually we give up nursing them, bottle feeding them, changing their diapers, dressing them and being their entertainment. We have to continually teach them how to survive on their own. On the flip side, it is also gratifying to see them growing up and becoming independent little people. It drives us to move forward and help our children grow and thrive.

As we get older, we let go youth, maybe health, our children (hopefully), our homes, our jobs, our minds... all of this seems negative really. It just an observation. It isn't really negative if you look at it as moving forward and growing. It is part of life. It is what we make of it. Are you letting go of things or moving forward and growing? Is your cup 1/2 full or 1/2 empty? Something to think about.

Winner of the Molly Coddle Tile Giveaway!

Congratulations Amy Simonelli!

You are the winner of the Molly Coddle Bunny Tile. You can choose from 3 colors. 

Thanks for participating!

Please check out Molly Coddle tiles. The Bunny Tiles make a great spring Hostess gift. 

There are beautiful tiles with French and Italian Flair and quote

tiles for inspiration. "like" Mollycoddle on Facebook today!

Winner was chosen using random number generator. The list of comments were used as the pool of enteries. If you entered in more than one location (ie. Facebook, Mollycoddle, blog), you were entered for each mentioned in the blog. If you entered all three, it mean you were entered three different times in the order of the comments.

I have chosen the winner of a copy of my book. 
I will announce it shortly. :) We'll give
Amy the limelight for a little while!